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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There’s an earnestness about this book that makes it hard to criticize. Parts of it certainly feel derivative from Tolkien, but in a way that shows enthusiasm, even adoration, and not cynicism or lack of talent. There’s a sense of practicing, of an author unfolding his wings for the first time. That passion and joy is deeply endearing even if the final result is not perfect.
This book reaches for an elevated, lofty tone, similar to that of The Silmarillion. I would say 75% of the time, it achieves it. I expected The Five, coming from (what was then present-day) Toronto, to be the cringiest part of the book, but they were instead my favorite characters.
4 stars.
This book reaches for an elevated, lofty tone, similar to that of The Silmarillion. I would say 75% of the time, it achieves it. I expected The Five, coming from (what was then present-day) Toronto, to be the cringiest part of the book, but they were instead my favorite characters.
4 stars.
This is one of those five star books that I've always been reluctant to actually review. Partly because Guy Gavriel Kay is a writer of such a high caliber that writing about his writing feels more than a little ridiculous. Like anything I have to say is going to sound like "duhhh dis wuz real good!" next to the actual book. But also partly because Kay's writing has always sort of defied description. He writes epic fantasy of the highest order but getting into how affecting his writing is, how its often brought me to tears, that's harder to get down somehow.
The Fionavar Tapestry is Kay's magnum opus, his [b:The Dark Tower|5091|The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower, #7)|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1372296329s/5091.jpg|6309701] or [b:The Lord of the Rings|33|The Lord of the Rings (The Lord of the Rings, #1-3)|J.R.R. Tolkien|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1156043001s/33.jpg|3462456]. Which is interesting because the premise of the series is predicated on the idea that the land of Fionavar is the source of every other fantasy world ever created, it is the heart from which all the others are born. There's a gravity to it, a holiness and a reverence that makes you want to talk about its legends and history in a hushed voice. You are speaking of something sacred when you speak of Fionavar.
The basic story is a simple one that many other fantasy novels and series have used. A group of college friends are taken by magic to Fionavar and tasked with helping quell the darkness that threatens to destroy it and thus all other worlds. Kevin, Paul, Dave, Kimberly, and Jennifer all have their roles to play in the coming wars and they each have their private struggles with fear and anger and regret before they can realize their destinies.
This is probably the most elegant series I've ever read and has always sort of defined "high" fantasy for me. The language helps. Kay is a poet and is able to have his characters, modern day 20 somethings, proclaim their love for each other in the style of epic poets or make huge declarations of war and it never feels cheesy or remotely out of place and I've never, ever encountered another author who could pull that off. They think beautifully, their inner monologues all have a depth of feeling that should be melodramatic but somehow isn't. Its like those rare moments in really great musical theater where the actors sing because they have no other choice. I can't imagine Kay's characters speaking in any other way.
There's a solemnity to this series that I just adore. And everything is built on a foundation of love, a theme that runs through virtually all of Kay's writing. Even the epic battle being fought between the forces of good and evil is founded on a broken heart.
This is a series to be savored. Take it from an expert in the art of skipping through to the end when the going gets tough. You will want to read every word. I haven't even touched the epic quests, star crossed love, or magical battles. If I got into the elves and the dwarves and gods we'd be here for a year.
But Fionavar is best discovered on your own the way I did. That's how most magical journey's start anyway isn't it? With a wrong turn or a chance encounter or the moment when your hand touches the spine of a beautifully bound book and you take it home without even reading the title because you just have a feeling about this one.
1/8/2019 Just a quick addendum having now listened to this one through Audible. The only thing that could have made the experience of reading these books better was a really terrific narration. This was indeed delivered in spades by Simon Vance (who also does a very fine Jonathan Harker in Audible's "Dracula" which I will one day finish) who reads the story like some kind of legendary bard out of a fantasy epic. Which is of course entirely appropriate. He's got a sonorous, rich voice that floats effortlessly between stalwart kings, world crushing demons, and cold high priestesses. His voice seems as thought it was made to speak Kay's words.
The Fionavar Tapestry is Kay's magnum opus, his [b:The Dark Tower|5091|The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower, #7)|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1372296329s/5091.jpg|6309701] or [b:The Lord of the Rings|33|The Lord of the Rings (The Lord of the Rings, #1-3)|J.R.R. Tolkien|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1156043001s/33.jpg|3462456]. Which is interesting because the premise of the series is predicated on the idea that the land of Fionavar is the source of every other fantasy world ever created, it is the heart from which all the others are born. There's a gravity to it, a holiness and a reverence that makes you want to talk about its legends and history in a hushed voice. You are speaking of something sacred when you speak of Fionavar.
The basic story is a simple one that many other fantasy novels and series have used. A group of college friends are taken by magic to Fionavar and tasked with helping quell the darkness that threatens to destroy it and thus all other worlds. Kevin, Paul, Dave, Kimberly, and Jennifer all have their roles to play in the coming wars and they each have their private struggles with fear and anger and regret before they can realize their destinies.
This is probably the most elegant series I've ever read and has always sort of defined "high" fantasy for me. The language helps. Kay is a poet and is able to have his characters, modern day 20 somethings, proclaim their love for each other in the style of epic poets or make huge declarations of war and it never feels cheesy or remotely out of place and I've never, ever encountered another author who could pull that off. They think beautifully, their inner monologues all have a depth of feeling that should be melodramatic but somehow isn't. Its like those rare moments in really great musical theater where the actors sing because they have no other choice. I can't imagine Kay's characters speaking in any other way.
There's a solemnity to this series that I just adore. And everything is built on a foundation of love, a theme that runs through virtually all of Kay's writing. Even the epic battle being fought between the forces of good and evil is founded on a broken heart.
This is a series to be savored. Take it from an expert in the art of skipping through to the end when the going gets tough. You will want to read every word. I haven't even touched the epic quests, star crossed love, or magical battles. If I got into the elves and the dwarves and gods we'd be here for a year.
But Fionavar is best discovered on your own the way I did. That's how most magical journey's start anyway isn't it? With a wrong turn or a chance encounter or the moment when your hand touches the spine of a beautifully bound book and you take it home without even reading the title because you just have a feeling about this one.
1/8/2019 Just a quick addendum having now listened to this one through Audible. The only thing that could have made the experience of reading these books better was a really terrific narration. This was indeed delivered in spades by Simon Vance (who also does a very fine Jonathan Harker in Audible's "Dracula" which I will one day finish) who reads the story like some kind of legendary bard out of a fantasy epic. Which is of course entirely appropriate. He's got a sonorous, rich voice that floats effortlessly between stalwart kings, world crushing demons, and cold high priestesses. His voice seems as thought it was made to speak Kay's words.
I listened to the audiobook of the summer tree, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it myself instead. I chose to listen to the audiobook because there wasn't a kindle edition out. Also it gives me something to do when washing dishes and folding laundry. However, I do tune out sometimes and don't go back and re-read to clarify things, so I think it makes it a little harder to keep track of things. The narrator was pretty good although his female voices were less than convincing.
I really enjoyed the story and the world-building, although I did keep drawing parallels to Tolkien - even more than usual for this genre. I would love to continue with the series, but will have to think about whether to buy the paper books or do audio again.
I really enjoyed the story and the world-building, although I did keep drawing parallels to Tolkien - even more than usual for this genre. I would love to continue with the series, but will have to think about whether to buy the paper books or do audio again.
A good story and interesting characters, but the author was so prone to rambling on with romantic imagery that it was impossible to understand what was going on. There are five main characters (yay ensemble book!) we supposed to follow, and we follow them, until all of a sudden, nope!, following someone else now without any context to how they fit into the storyline. But if we wait and read through ten pages of their personal history, maybe they'll talk to a character who will talk to a character we're supposed to care about. Eventually each character's relevance is proven, but not before you have to dedicate way too much time to reading their book first. Kay did get better about this towards the end of the book, so I'm hoping it was more of a really, really long setup and now the plot is underway. This book ended very abruptly, so if there's any chance of finding out what's going on, book 2 will be required.
And now for the spoilery bits because I really need to say them. Of the five Earth humans who were brought to Fionavar, some of them clearly had a purpose, others, none at all. First David has to be the outcast who gets separated from the group because he can't trust in their friendship. Okay, interesting arch. Then Kevin and Paul go on a quest of absolutely no importance to other than to entertain a party hard prince. Kim goes off to become a seer and is the first to have a true purpose. When that's randomly finished, Paul gives in to his suicidal urges and decides to be a human sacrifice, tying himself into Fionavar. And Kevin hangs around doing nothing important. And Jennifer hangs around. And does nothing. The whole time. And gets captured. And is only mentioned again once her really bad day is about to become a Terry Goodkind kind of bad day. Was her only purpose to be the damsel? Why bother? So only Paul and Kim have any role in Fionavar other than establishing a lot of deep friendships ridiculously quickly with the natives?
Considering this wasn't a very girly book, an extra star for the random unicorn and its awesome appearance.
Considering this wasn't a very girly book, an extra star for the random unicorn and its awesome appearance.
finally getting around to doing a reread (or audiobook) for the Fionavar Tapestry. Still good, forgot about some of the more...emotional scenes. and forgot just how many myths GGK packs into this tiny book.
Nostalgia read, sparked by a bookclub desire to read the series. What can I say?
I first read this not long after the series came out (1984 for the first one). I was in my early teens, and there wasn’t much fantasy that felt inclusive of females, stories told in a lush world of sweeping scope. You know how desperate my thirteen year-old self was? Two words: Thomas Covenant. Kay was a refreshing summer breeze, and the writing–oh, the writing! It remained shiny in my memory, musical and strong enough to pull at the heart.
Like many nostalgia reads, I was somewhat afraid to approach it again, afraid it wouldn’t hold up to twenty-five years of memories. However, I found it remained satisfying, almost as delicious, just as emotional and evocative, and somehow, even more balanced than I remembered.
Continued at:
http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2014/01/28/the-summer-tree-by-guy-gavriel-kay/
I first read this not long after the series came out (1984 for the first one). I was in my early teens, and there wasn’t much fantasy that felt inclusive of females, stories told in a lush world of sweeping scope. You know how desperate my thirteen year-old self was? Two words: Thomas Covenant. Kay was a refreshing summer breeze, and the writing–oh, the writing! It remained shiny in my memory, musical and strong enough to pull at the heart.
Like many nostalgia reads, I was somewhat afraid to approach it again, afraid it wouldn’t hold up to twenty-five years of memories. However, I found it remained satisfying, almost as delicious, just as emotional and evocative, and somehow, even more balanced than I remembered.
Continued at:
http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2014/01/28/the-summer-tree-by-guy-gavriel-kay/
This is a series that is very similar to the Lord of the Rings mythos (it even borrows some of the concepts) but adds a some twists. In the Summer Tree, five people are transferred from our modern world into the first world. They are faced with the reemergence of an ancient evil. The five must discover there reason for being brought into the first world. They discover tragedy, loss and suffering, but in the end, they begin to find their way.
I really enjoyed this first part of the trilogy and look forward to continuing the story until the conclusion.
I really enjoyed this first part of the trilogy and look forward to continuing the story until the conclusion.
I loved the first third of this book. It has such a great setup. Five college students talking into going to a magical fantasy land on the advice of a stranger? Sure, why not! I could really picture that part especially well as they go from 1970s Canada to this magical world.
The setup is good. Things don't go as planned, because what fun would that be if they did? We start to see signs of the group gravitating towards different interests. The jock winds up as the warrior and one of the girls is a secret wizard, etc etc. I really like the world itself of Fionavar. It has a lot of mystery and it isn't too over the top in terms of gore or fantasy creatures. It's a bare bones fantasy novel with some guys running around with swords, an obscure tribe of nomads, and we get a sappy love story thrown in that I honestly thought was much more of a throwback to pulp fiction from the 30s and 40s and you can tell where that influence in this novel is. So those parts can feel a bit tired.
In my opinion, the worldbuilding slows down a little. This world is very sparsely populated much like Middle Earth. You have pockets of humans here or there but no huge culture hearths that really wow me. There is an evil lord like Sauron of course. I'm going to spoil exactly why this book falls apart for me at the end. Ready?
[SPOILER]
The Dark Evil Lord dude rapes one of the girls as she is telepathically communicating with all her friends, who get to visualize this shit. Also he basically rapes her mind. Pain in the Dark Mountain Place which is basically a frozen version of Mordor. I'm not going to get into the politics of should an author write about rape in a fantasy novel. For me, it was the way it was written didn't really make sense or add to any of the plot. Maybe the Dark Evil Dude just loves rape. Maybe he's straight out of Dante's Inferno and just loves suffering. It seems like a tired trope to trot out as the other four head out to rescue their now raped friend. We don't really know why he rapes her because she is totally a valuable sorceress chick or whatever so...I guess traumatizing her will help his plot to take over the world, somehow. So, minus two stars for this. I didn't appreciate it as an ending. It felt too unexplained. This Evil Dude is some kind of immortal who was trapped in a dark place and got out and the first thing he really wants to do is rape a wizard chick. Okay. Whatever, fantasy book.
The setup is good. Things don't go as planned, because what fun would that be if they did? We start to see signs of the group gravitating towards different interests. The jock winds up as the warrior and one of the girls is a secret wizard, etc etc. I really like the world itself of Fionavar. It has a lot of mystery and it isn't too over the top in terms of gore or fantasy creatures. It's a bare bones fantasy novel with some guys running around with swords, an obscure tribe of nomads, and we get a sappy love story thrown in that I honestly thought was much more of a throwback to pulp fiction from the 30s and 40s and you can tell where that influence in this novel is. So those parts can feel a bit tired.
In my opinion, the worldbuilding slows down a little. This world is very sparsely populated much like Middle Earth. You have pockets of humans here or there but no huge culture hearths that really wow me. There is an evil lord like Sauron of course. I'm going to spoil exactly why this book falls apart for me at the end. Ready?
[SPOILER]
The Dark Evil Lord dude rapes one of the girls as she is telepathically communicating with all her friends, who get to visualize this shit. Also he basically rapes her mind. Pain in the Dark Mountain Place which is basically a frozen version of Mordor. I'm not going to get into the politics of should an author write about rape in a fantasy novel. For me, it was the way it was written didn't really make sense or add to any of the plot. Maybe the Dark Evil Dude just loves rape. Maybe he's straight out of Dante's Inferno and just loves suffering. It seems like a tired trope to trot out as the other four head out to rescue their now raped friend. We don't really know why he rapes her because she is totally a valuable sorceress chick or whatever so...I guess traumatizing her will help his plot to take over the world, somehow. So, minus two stars for this. I didn't appreciate it as an ending. It felt too unexplained. This Evil Dude is some kind of immortal who was trapped in a dark place and got out and the first thing he really wants to do is rape a wizard chick. Okay. Whatever, fantasy book.